FINAL Migration Update: May 11, 2011 |
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The best season in four years continues as the peak migration of mom/calf pairs thrills whale watchers. Posts #6 and #7 have both counted 100 calves so far! How far north can the whales go? Dig into the data and our journal page to sum up a season to celebrate. Thanks for joining us! This Week's Report Includes:
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Image
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Highlights: What a Week! | ||||
The cow/calf migration is in full swing, and many adults and juveniles are in the final stretch of the journey north.We wish all the whales, counted or not, safe passage. Observers share what they're seeing now: | ||||
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What was special about this cow/calf pair spotted at Post #7? Click the photo to see. |
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Wonder: How Far Can They Go? | ||||
By now, a few whales may have already gone through the Bering Strait. Soon, if not already, some gray whales will migrate as far north at Point Barrow, Alaska. A few brave souls will make it all the way to the Beaufort Sea, perhaps as far east as Canada. Others will cross the Chukchi Sea going to the northwest into the Siberian Sea. Dr. David Rugh of the Marine Mammal Laboratory tells us why they seem to be dispersing (spreading out) more through the years: "Some of this may be a result of a larger population; some may be a function of decrease feeding resources farther south in the Bering Sea; and some of the dispersal may be because there isn't as much sea ice to hold the whales back from exploring arctic waters." Where will you find these places on a map? What might thinner arctic ice mean for gray whales? |
This week, how far can the whales go before ice stops them? What makes the whales spread out more and more as they reach the Arctic? Where do the Pacific Gray Whales end up? (Keep track of sea ice changes.) |
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Summarize the Season: Using Daily Data | ||||
This
Season's Story: Journal Page: Print a page for Post #6 and one for Post #7. Compare and share what you discover. Please join us again next spring for a new chapter in the exciting story of the longest mammal migration! NOTE: We'll keep posting data until the point-count sites complete their season's work. |
Tracking the Migration Using Daily Data View, record, graph, and analyze the latest data from California Posts #6 and #7. |
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Annual Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts | ||||
Will you take a few minutes to complete our Year-end Evaluation? With your help, we can document Journey North's reach, impact and value. We need comments like yours to keep the program going and growing.
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More
Gray Whale Lessons and
Teaching Ideas! |
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This is the FINAL Gray Whale Migration Update for 2011. The whales are off to a summer of feeding and fattening before the monumental migration starts all over again. Thank you for cheering them on their journey north. Best wishes to YOU for a fun-filled summer!
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